Native American Indian Jewelry Information

Today I’ll continue on the topic of the squash blossom; an instantly recognizable design commonly seen in turquoise jewelry.

The Navajo began crafting the squash blossom as a type of simple necklace. Although today it is most commonly crafted in sterling silver, originally squashes were crafted in copper, steel & iron, and brass. These were more commonly found amongst trading tribes in the 1800s and early 1900s. Typically the Navajo represented an artist’s depiction of the actual flower of the squash blossom using simple metallic beads. It wasn’t until modern tools were introduced, such as soldering irons and metal working tools, that the delicate metal petals representing the squash blossom flower could be added. The center piece of any squash blossom is called the naja. The naja is the central piece that hangs at the lowest point on the necklace, almost like a pendant.

This squash blossom design became an immediately recognizable pattern in necklaces crafted by the Navajo. Its delicate look combined with the required high level of skill to craft the necklace guaranteed that it would be copied by other tribes.

The squash blossom design didn’t become part of Native American culture until after the Europeans settled the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries. Even then, it wasn’t commonly seen until the 19th century (1800’s). It is widely accepted that the Navajo were the first to begin representing the Squash blossom design in their jewelry. However, the exact story is still debated today. My favorite explanation is the Navajo began to use the old discarded horseshoes as jewelry components. These old horseshoes could be easily found near European settlements. Although this is a very popular theory, I’ve yet to come across any proof of a horseshoe in an actual piece of historical jewelry. But still, you must admit that it’s pretty compelling. Later I’ll mention a related version of this theory.

No matter how the squash blossom became part of Native American jewelry history, its importance to turquoise jewelry and all types of Native American jewelry is unquestionable.

For the next few posts I’d like to share some information concerning one of the most recognizable Native American pieces of jewelry that I can think of; the squash blossom. This amazing necklace design incorporates dozens of finer crafts in its creation. To truly appreciate this wearable art, you have to understand and appreciate the history and how it is crafted. A great example of this amazing piece of turquoise jewelry craftsmanship can be seen in the picture to the right.

As I usually do, I’ll start with some history…….

Thank you for joining me on my week long journey through the importance of the buffalo and its symbolism to the Native American people. Hopefully I’ve been able to explain why the buffalo can be seen time and time again represented in Zuni fetishes. But Native Americans aren’t the only ones who tell tales of these great beasts. The Buffalo has many stories and tales told throughout the world. These wonderful stories detail how the Buffalo has shaped lives from centuries ago to modern times. A search on the Internet can provide hours upon hours of wonderful information. I encourage everyone to find their own way through this information. After all, the search for knowledge is just as important as possessing the knowledge.

Feel free to comment with your stories about Zuni fetishes, or recommend a topic concerning turquoise jewelry for one of my future posts.

Here’s some more information about the buffalo, and maybe an explanation as to why you have picked up a Zuni fetish carved like a buffalo during one of your visits to the south west.

People who find that the Buffalo is their sacred animal typically have the following traits: strong willed, wise, be able to make and keep many friends, have good relations with family members, enjoy being challenged, equally enjoy completing or solving the challenge, get bored or tired in monotonous or repetitive routines, and will always look to improve their life and the lives those around them.  Does this sound like you or someone you know?!  Tell them the story of the buffalo and send a buffalo fetish to them!

I’ve rattled on long enough about the buffalo’s history.  Finally, I’ll get down to what the buffalo represents to the Native American people, in a spiritual sense, and why it has become so very popular to represent the buffalo in turquoise jewelry and Zuni fetishes.

The first obvious spiritual connection that can be drawn between man and buffalo is because of its sheer size.  Being the largest land animal here in the U.S., the Buffalo easily represents strength and perseverance.  Also, as if to underscore its strength with perseverance, unlike many other members of the animal world, the Buffalo never turns its back to wind, snow and rain – it will face the elements head on always facing trouble.

Another aspect of the buffalo is that it represents home and community. This is because of the large herds that would live and migrate together in harmony.  As large as the buffalo may be, it does not live its life aggressively seeking to own his land.  Instead, the buffalo lives its life with its own kind, in harmony.  A great example of this harmony in action is to watch a herd of buffalo as they race across the plains.  It’s almost as if they act as a single unit instead of multiple individuals.

When I first heard some of these stories of the buffalo, I could easily understand how such a great animal became such a strong symbol to Zuni fetish carvers.

The Buffalo was central to the way of life for almost all Native American peoples.  The kachina doll to the right depicts a Native American dressed in a buffalo costume, which was common during celebrations and formal gatherings.  From the tribes that lived and hunted in the mid North American continent, to the tribes on the coasts that used buffalo hide traded from others, Buffalo were critical to the chain of life. Native Americans migrated with the Buffalo and depended on their meat as a food source. However, Native Americans also regarded the Buffalo as highly important animals to their cultural and spiritual lives.

Next time, I’ll bridge the gap from the buffalo as an animal to the buffalo as a symbolic representation of importance to Native Americans; and more specifically, to the Zuni fetish artists who choose to carve the buffalo out of raw stone.

Until the 1800’s (19th century) the great Buffalo roamed the American plains in huge herds. It was not uncommon to have thousands of buffalo in a herd. Their migration patterns help to craft the Native American’s living habits as strongly as the great prairie fires that occurred during summer and fall seasons. During the late 1800’s the hunting of the Buffalo became a lucrative source of income for both Native Americans as well as the new people settling in the American Southwest. Buffalo hides brought in large sums of money, and by the turn of the century, the Buffalo were hunted close to complete extinction.

In the early 1900’s, Buffalo conservation began to turn around the almost inevitable disappearance of these animals. Several notable Americans began to raise and protect Buffalo on their own ranches instead of hunting them. Because of these efforts the Buffalo population is approximately 350,000 today in North America. Though a small fraction of the 60-100 Million estimated Buffalo that roamed the prairies in the mid 1800’s, the current population continues to grow.

Next up, how the buffalo became an integral part of the Native Americans’ lives; so much so that they began to embellish their turquoise jewelry with images of these great animals as well as carve them out of stone to create Zuni fetishes. An example that combines both turquoise jewelry and Zuni fetishes can be seen to the right.  This is a pair of earrings that include 2 carved buffalo fetishes.

Before I dive right into inforamtion about the buffalo in Zuni Fetishes, I’d like to give a quick history of the buffalo so that you can appreciate this majestic animal as much as I do.

The American buffalo, also called the American Bison, is only distantly related to either of the two “true buffaloes”, the Asian buffalo and the African buffalo. The American Buffalo is more closely related to the Wisent or European Buffalo.

The Buffalo once inhabited the grasslands of the U.S. in massive herds, ranging from the Great Slave Lake in Canada’s far north, through the United States to Mexico in the south, and from eastern Oregon almost to the Atlantic Ocean. Its two subspecies are the Plains Bison, distinguished by its smaller size and more rounded hump, and the Wood Bison, distinguished by its larger size and taller square hump. Wood Bison are one of the largest species of cattle in the world. It is surpassed only by the Asian gaur and the Asian Water Buffalo. In the Americas the Wood Bison is the largest land animal alive today.

These majestic animals can grow to be 7 feet tall, 10 feet long and weigh over 2,000 lbs – That’s a TON!!

Since I’ve explained the history and amazing art of Zuni fetishesin a previous posts, let’s go ahead and dive into some of the specific animals. First I’ve chosen the Buffalo; a great symbol of the American Southwest, a centerpiece to the Native American culture and, more personally, an animal that holds great meaning for me and one that I connect with some of my fondest memories out west.

Over the next several posts I’ll talk about the importance of the buffalo in Native American culture and more specifically in Zuni fetishes.  The buffalo is a prominent animal among many tribes, especially in southwestern areas.  It is found in almost all types of turquoise jewelry, pottery, fetishes, kachinas, sand paintings, and more.